Acting Talent
by Hanna Squalor
Summary: Where does Troy get his acting talent? From his father? Maybe. It turns out his father might be a better actor than thought. Coach Bolton is having an affair.With who? And how did Sharpay find out?Some TroyxGabriella but mostly Coach Bolton x?
1. Unsettling Information

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters

Acting Talent

Why was it that every Wednesday his father came home late? Troy hadn't noticed it at first. He had been laying awake thinking, pondering his life, when he heard the keys in the door down stairs. Troy clicked on his lamp, the pale glow of it, reflecting off his many basketball posters. Through the crack in his door he watched his father climb the stairs and walk down the hall to bed. Troy had shrugged it off at the time. It was most likely a late conference at the school or another Basketball seminar. He had simply turned off his lamp and gone back to his thinking. Gabriella had been on his mind that night.

Tonight Gabriella was on more than his thoughts. She was laying there next to him. They were both silent, but awake, thinking to themselves. Everything had been so hectic lately with University applications and scholarship forms', lying was the only way they could make the time to see each other. There was no such school orientation meeting tonight, and Gabriella had the three hours left here.

Troy's hand was absently traveling from her waist to her underarm, and back again, leaving a trail of tingles, even through her shirt. That was when their silence was broken, once again by the keys in the door. Troy was only paying enough attention to remember to sit up and lock the door. Before he returned to rest his head on the pillow he remembered that it had been last Wednesday as well. In fact, he hadn't seen his father at dinner during any Wednesday this month.

"Gab, do you think it's weird that my dad hasn't gotten home until after midnight every Wednesday?" he asked. If anyone was smart enough to pick up abnormal behavior it was his girlfriend, to be sure.

"Maybe. I guess so… Well I couldn't tell you. Why don't you just ask him where he was?" she suggested.

"You're right. He probably is just taking a night class or something he hasn't told me about.

Down the hall, Jack Bolton was climbing into the shower. He was much too tired, to do so, but it was much too risky not to. He had to get rid of the smell. That woman wore way too much perfume, and her make up always rubbed off on him. Scrubbing away lip stick marks, he yawned. The shower wasn't waking him up. It wouldn't in the morning either, when he had to get up in a few hours. Jack turned off the water, grimacing at the thought of having to get up so soon.

He tied on his robe and head into the hallway, toward his room. The sound of a window sliding into place alerted him from Troy's room. His lamp was on, but the door was closed. He quickly made his way to Troy's room and knocked. "What are you still doing up? We've got a game tomorrow." He warned.

"Sorry dad, I was just getting some fresh air. I'm heading back to bed." He lied, as Gabriella climbed out the window, and down his mother's Morning Glories. Troy tossed her bag down to her and waved, before she ran off down the street.

"Night." Jack grumbled, turning down the hall.

Troy remembered something, opening his door and stopping his father. "Dad, just wondering, where were you?" he asked, as innocently as he could muster.

"Oh? A conference thing… I have them on Wednesdays." His father answered, heading back down the hall to his bed, where his wife was sound asleep.

"Night, coach." Troy yawned, before closing his door and flopping into his bed.

-

"Cynthia, get off me it's Thursday." Jack warned, pushing her away before someone could see them.

"You are too naïve with you this you can satisfy me with just one night a week." She taunted.

"Look, this is the gym. It's no private. I won't have us caught here, especially by my son. Speak of the devil" he added as Troy strolled into the gym, freshly changed and showered.

"Hey coach, Ms Darbus."

"Troy. Bolton, I expect him at my rehearsal on Friday whether you have a practice or not!" She stormed out.

"That woman is a pain. I wish you'd never gone to that damn callback." Coach Bolton complained, the best acting he'd done in his life.

"Dad, the rehearsals are once a week, your practices are everyday. Cut her some slack please." Troy sighed.

"Practice is pointless without the captain. I might as well cut the Friday practices." Bolton was kidding, Troy doesn't catch it.

"That would be great!" He exclaimed. "Thanks. I'll go tell Darbus." He said, running of to share the news before his father could stop him. He caught up with her in the hallway. "Ms Darbus! My dad is cutting Friday practices. I'll be there." He informed, happily.

"Is he? Well what an honorable change of character for him. Tell him if he hoping to butter me up it won't work. You're going to be in every musical I put on here until you graduate, even if I have to kill your father to do it." She continued of, heading back to her throne where a lot of paper work needed attending to.

It seemed like he had finally found a way to be in both extracurricular groups. He could finally be settled. Or he would be, if some not for some unsettling information floating around. Sharpay moved out from under the bleachers, where she had been hiding with Zeke. The unsettling display between the two teachers would quickly become her advantage. Immediately the plan of wrapping Troy around her finger danced in her brain. Only one problem, she had to keep Zeke quiet.


	2. Tricky Decisions

Surrounded by pink, Sharpay had her room to herself and time to scheme. She knew better than to mess with Darbus, least she never get a lead again. There was a short list of people that she could use this information against. Darbus was already counted off the list, Coach Bolton couldn't give her anything she wanted, but Troy was a different story.

So it was Troy to use but what exactly did she want? Other than the world? On the top of the list was getting the lead, which was easy enough. But she was getting sick of singing love songs with her brother. Twins were cute for a while but they never last. Their career dies as soon as one of them stops being cute. She was sure she would stay cute forever but she couldn't count on Ryan.

Her plan decided, she grabbed her nail polish but her phone rang before she could open it. Sharpay pick it up, and checked the screen. "Hi Hun."

"Hi, Sharpay." Zeke's voice flooded into her ear through the pink plastic receiver. "I was wondering if you got the brownies? The ones with the pink icing." he asked.

"Yes, along with the rest of your sweets. I'm going to get fat dating you." Sharpay whined.

"Oh well. It will be harder for you to get away." he joked.

"Not funny. Anyway I have to talk to you about something." She started.

"You can't break up with me for one fat joke!" Zeke protested.

"No, no, no… I need to talk to you about what we saw when we were under the bleachers." she explained.

"What did we see? I was so focused on you, I barley remember anything except your perfume and the way your mouth tastes and-"

"Ew. Don't gush. Maybe later…But anyway, about coach Bolton and Ms. Darbus, we need to keep it a secret." Sharpay lied.

"Why? Shouldn't we tell Troy?" Zeke asked.

"No! We can't let him know about this. It would throw off his game completely. Not only does he have a big game coming up, but he also has to big show. We have to keep it hush, hush." Sharpay elaborated.

"Okay, whatever you say. I guess you're right. So let me tell you about my new recipe."

_Later_

"I see why you like this throne. I commands a certain power. And the padding is so….I could sleep here." The coach delighted, lounging.

"What do you want, Bolton, you may have a lunch break but I'm very busy." said the irritated drama teacher from her desk. Where she had papers spread out in front of her.

"You can't have much to do. All your class involves is standing up here and giving skits about how "Sally broke up with Jake at the sock hop."

"For your information, Bolton, there is a lot more marking to do in this class than you may think. Not to mention paper work for the play. I have to order things and pay royalties and balance costs of inspections for the fly area…" she sighed.

"No wonder you're always so-" Darbus gives him a glare before he finishes "wonderfully clever…." he lied. She knew he was lying but smiles anyway.

"Is there a reason you're here?" She asked.

"Cynthia….I'm thinking…. Maybe what's going on should end. It's not professional." he reasoned.

"Jack, I told you that when this all started, and you didn't mind then." she pointed out.

"I know. But if Troy ever found out…..what could happen to his game…" he thought out loud.

"That's the risks. What about your wife? Madaline is important too you know. I may be divorced but you aren't. You are risking so much. And for what? It's not like you love me." Darbus responded.

"Well, no but I wouldn't say that I don't care about you a little bit." he said, walking awkwardly around the classroom.

"Oh how sweet. The man with baskets for brains has a heart. I bet it beats like the sound of a bouncing ball." she laughed.

"Darbus, I was trying to be sentimental." Jack chided.

"I was trying to do paperwork. You bothered me, I'll bother you back. Jack. Go home. Sleep on it. Tell me what you think tomorrow. Remember, whatever we feel for each other is little in grater production. Your son and wife play bigger parts than I do." she explained.

"Does everything relate to acting with you?" Jack asked, starting to leave.

"Yes. And sooner or later your acting talent will run out, and the your wife wont believe you anymore."


End file.
